Hokusai's Passionate View on Hōgaku

The artist Hokusai presents us a rather sensual perspective of hōgaku (Japanese musical activities), we view a sexually-aroused geisha, actively leading an admirer into the delights of love.

Female Vulva

The tableau captures the couple passionately kissing at the moment of orgasm as emphasized by the fluids still flowing from the female vulva. At right lies a plectrum, and the body of the shamisen (three-stringed musical instrument) itself, with a musical text laid over it, to form a kind of pillow cover.

‘Hōgaku: Couple in a post-coital moment‘ (c.1812) from the series ‘Tsuhi no hinagata (Models of Loving Couples)‘ by Katsushika Hokusai

Dante’s Inferno

To aficionados of Kabuki and nagauta, the cover of the text itself is enough to divert attention from the flamboyant lovers: Takao zange no dan – a famous, early nagauta scene from the drama Nanakusa wakayagi Soga [1744], in which the ghost of the renowned Yosiwara courtesan Takao appears and recited her memories of this world, and subsequent torments in Hades (a scenario strangely reminiscent of the fair Francesca in Dante’s Inferno).

Click HERE so that you can check out the “Copulating Widow and Adopted Son” design from this series…!!

Dear Marijn,
in your previous letter about the difference between Hokusai and Eisen you’ve said that Hokusai depicted toes in his special ‘pointy’ style. But the funniest thing is that Eisen used this feature too. In the first picture (‘Makura bunko’, 1822), which I haven’t found on your akantiek.com website, toes are typical for Hokusai, but the undergarment isn’t drawn in his style and facial features differ from ones of Hokusai’s characters. In the second picture (‘Enpon mime kurabe’, 1822) we can see the crumpled undergarment and the geisha’s foot, that is drawn close to Hokusai, but man’s (reaper’s?) foot is depicted not in Hokusai’s manner. In the third picture (‘Koi-no kaname’, 1827) there is a remarkable hommage to Hokusai that can be seen in lying woman’s pointy foot (one in the background) and pointy hand, while the foot that’s in the foreground is depicted less closely to Hokusai. However their facial features are Hokusai-like.
So Eisen could fully imitate Hokusai’s style, but he preferred to mix his own style with some features of his inspirer. Maybe it was a way to pay respect to a great master.
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Best wishes,
Darya